Say what?
Yeah, that's a weird sentence. Let me explain.
My freshman year of college, I decided one dull January day that I absolutely needed to pierce my lip. So I consulted one friend who had her lip pierced already, gained her support, and ventured off to pierce my lip. I didn't tell anyone else. I just decided it was a good idea and went for it.
This summer, I was sitting in a different friend's living room listening to her talk about tattoos. She explained all about her tattoos and why she thinks tattoos are great. I told her about what tattoo I would get if I were to actually get one, but I never would. My friend proceeded to show me pictures of tattoos with white ink. I decided that night that I probably should get a white ink tattoo. I thought about for a few days, and then decided I absolutely needed to get a white ink tattoo. I booked an appointment for later that day and got a tattoo two days before leaving America. I didn't tell anyone other than that friend until after it was done. I just decided it was a good idea and went for it.
So far, this approach has worked for me. No regrets. I think regrets would have happened if I didn't do such things.
Today, I was looking online, and I realized it is November. In case you didn't know November is National Novel Writing Month, AKA NaNoWriMo. Look it up. It's great.
I first heard about NaNoWriMo during college. My roommate decided to do it because she loves writing. It makes sense since she was an English major. I thought it would be fun to join her. I don't think I even made it to the first day's goal... oops. I decided to focus on school and surviving life instead.
But now, I am no longer in school. I have free time! So I decided today that NaNoWriMo would be a good thing to do. After I signed up online, I realized that I have no idea what to write about. Some people spend months planning their novel. I had nothing. And I was a day behind. Yikes!
So I sat staring at an empty document wondering how to write 50,000 words in 29 days. In case you were wondering, this is a rough, rough draft. NaNoWriMo is about quantity over quality. This thing won't be hitting the shelves!
But I still want what I write to matter. I want it to glorify God. I want it to reveal more of his character even if I am the only person who reads it.
And this afternoon, God gave me an idea. It may change as I write, but at least I now have some direction for the next few days.
My novel is from the viewpoint of a fourteen year old orphan named Emily Ann. She hates the world and everything in it. Eventually, she will meet Jesus, and he will slowly heal her from her past. I am excited to see how Emily Ann's life unfolds.
If you want a glimpse at Emily Ann, her life, and my NaNoWriMo experience, here are my first 167 words.
I am excited to see how my attempt at writing this month goes. I am praying that God would do cool things through this. If you want to pray too, that would be helpful. Also, I am open to title suggestions! I'll send a postcard to you just for sharing a serious option with me! (Once I figure out where the post office is over here...)
I always thought keeping a diary was stupid. It’s something for little girls - girls who love pink, and rainbows, and furry animals. Ick. Keeping a diary is definitely stupid. I am not keeping a diary. This is not a diary.The idea of a journal is also so, so stupid. It’s for those people who know keeping a diary is stupid but want to keep one anyway. I am not keeping a journal. This is not a journal.
I suppose this is a dumb assignment. A punishment of sorts. My teacher, school counselor, and home supervisor think it’s a good idea. They say they’ll check to make sure I’m writing. “But we promise we won’t read it!” Yeah, right. But I don’t care if you read this. This is stupid. This notebook, this assignment will never show you who I am. All you’ll ever know is what you think you know. All you’ll ever see is Emily Ann, the orphan. That’s all you’ve ever seen anyway.
Want to write a novel in November? There's still time to sign up! Join me!
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